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Pakistan, who could be relegated to second division, oppose proposed two-tier Test cricket system: Report
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is reportedly unhappy with the International Cricket Council's (ICC) plans to divide the Test-playing nations into a two-tier system, opposing the possibility. While the possibility of a two-tier Test cricket system has been in the news for a while, a major step towards making it a reality was reportedly taken at the recently-concluded ICC Annual General Meeting (AGM), as a special committee was established to propose solutions regarding the issues around the different formats of the game.
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The eight-member working group would reportedly be headed by ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta and includes England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) CEO Richard Gould and Cricket Australia chief Todd Greenberg. The ICC committee is expected to explore the possibility of creating a two-tier Test cricket system and the proposal for the same could be tabled by the end of 2025.
Why Pakistan could get relegated to Test cricket Division Two
The current nine-team system is expected to be divided into two tiers of six teams each and may come into force from the 2027-2029 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. However, for the two-tier Test cricket system to become a reality, the proposal would have to need a two-thirds majority vote from the ICC's 12 full members.
Also Read | Two-tier Test cricket system: Why top teams want change
Pakistan, which is currently ranked seventh in the ICC Test rankings and has never played in the WTC final, could end up as one of the teams in the second division due to their poor Test results in recent years. Pakistan finished at the bottom of the nine-team WTC point table for the 2023-25 cycle. They are yet to play a single Test match in the ongoing WTC 2025-27 cycle, with their first assignment against South Africa, a two-match Test series, scheduled for October 2025.
Pakistan to oppose two-tier Test cricket system
Amid the news of a possible bifurcation in the Test cricket system, media reports in Pakistan have claimed that PCB will vehemently oppose the two-tier system in Test cricket. As per a report in The Tribune, PCB is against the 'growing dominance of elite cricketing nations'; however, the fears that the Pakistan team will be relegated to the second division cannot be ruled out.
'Cricket is not the property of just a few powerful nations,' a senior PCB official told The Tribune. 'Smaller teams can only improve if they are given regular opportunities to play against top-level competition.'
The PCB official went on to add that Pakistan 'may secure its place in Division One,' but a two-tier system will hamper the progress of developing cricket nations.
'What will happen to Bangladesh and West Indies? How will they improve by only playing each other?' the official asked.
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